MY ANCIENT WORLD.

renlyslittlerose: history meme | five assassinations: the...

Sat, 25 May 2013 00:45:22 +0100

history meme | five assassinations: the assassination of Hipparchus by Harmodius and Aristogeiton

The city state of Athens is perhaps most known for the introduction of democracy. Prior to this introduction in the late 6th century BCE, Athens was ruled by an aristocratic body, where corruption was common and the usurping of power was not unheard of. Throughout the 6th century, the tyrant Pisistratus garnered control of Athens on three occasions, and upon his death his two sons, Hipparchus and Hippias, took control of the city, becoming tyrants themselves (Tyrant in the Greek definition meaning authoritarian ruler, without the negative connotation we have today).

Under Hippias and Hipparchus’ rule, Athens struggled due to numerous internal and external conflicts, including Hipparchus abusing his power, causing the Athenian people to turn bitter toward the two brothers. In 514 BCE, Hipparchus made a grave mistake, when he insulted the young man Harmodius, by inviting his sister to partake in an important ceremony only to publicly chastise her for not being a virgin. Harmodius, along with his erastes, Aristogeiton, plotted out a way in which to gain back Harmodius’ family honour, while obtaining revenge upon a man whom had gravely insulted both of them (some versions of the story relate that Hipparchus had made sexual advances toward Harmodius, which in turn angered Aristogeiton who was Harmodius’ lover).

A plot was hatched in which the two men would stab Hipparchus during the religious festival, the Panathenaic games. Unfortunately, the two men thought they had been betrayed when one of their co-conspirators personally greeted Hippias in a friendly manner, and they rushed into action, stabbing Hipparchus to death for everyone to see. Harmodius was immediately killed by Hipparchus’ guards, but Aristogeiton made a break for it, running for a short while until he was captured and tortured for information. He was eventually executed.

Although they did not killed Hippias, and indeed his tyrannical rule lasted for a little while longer (he was expelled from Athens in 510 BCE), future Athenians would regard this moment as the moment when the seeds of Athenian democracy were planted. Harmodius and Aristogeiton were dubbed τυραννοκτόνοι (Tyrannicides or Tyrant Killers), and when democracy was fully formed Cleisthenes commissioned a bronze statue of the two lovers be erected for the public to enjoy. While the original bronze copy has been lost to us, a few Roman marble copies have survived, the best of which resides in the museum of Naples, Italy.

”A marvelous great light shone upon Athens when Aristogeiton and Harmodios slew Hipparchus” - Simonides of Ceos

Even though the photo reads, ‘LIGRIV, dienea eht’,...

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:44:38 +0100

Even though the photo reads, ‘LIGRIV, dienea eht’, what I’m trying to sell here is Virgil’s Aeneid. The Aeneid imitated Homer’s epics, but was used as a sort-of Augustan propaganda to praise the emperor and give Rome a literature as rich as that of Greece.

nikoznate: We call them “Etruscans”, they called themselves...

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:43:49 +0100

nikoznate:

We call them “Etruscans”, they called themselves “Rasenna”.

The Etruscans were the inhabitants of what is now Tuscany in the Iron Age. At the height of their civilization, Etruscan settlements stretched from the Po Valley to down to Campania.

The Romans - the inhabitants of a small collection of villages on seven hills while the Etruscans were at their height - both loathed and respected their Etruscan overlords. Many Roman artistic and legal traditions were adopted from Etruscan culture, and Rome’s expansionism was born in part of attempts to secure the city against Etruscan dominance.

In time, the Romans would go on to conquer much of the world they knew. The Etruscans would be largely forgotten, despite the fact that much of their culture would live on in different forms throughout the Roman-influenced world.

styxxus: Ancient History: Archaic to Modern Greece by Michael...

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:09:25 +0100

styxxus:

Ancient History: Archaic to Modern Greece by Michael Horsley

"To me, a wicked man who is also eloquent Seems the most guilty of them all. He’ll cut your..."

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:36:07 +0100

“To me, a wicked man who is also eloquent Seems the most guilty of them all. He’ll cut your throat as bold as brass, because he knows he can dress up murder In handsome words.”

- Medea, from Euripides Medea

ancientpeoples: Terracotta Vase in the Form of a Lobster...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:30:26 +0100

ancientpeoples:

Terracotta Vase in the Form of a Lobster Claw

ca. 460 BC

Greek, Classical

Because so many aspects of Greek life depended on the sea, a vase in the shape of a lobster claw is not surprising. It is, however, exceptional and may be a variant of the askos—a bag-shaped oil container provided with a vertical mouth and strap handle. The Dionysiac iconography of the lobster claw suggests that it was a novelty item used at symposia (drinking parties).

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

workman: The common perception is that the great statues and...

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:54:01 +0100

Trojan archer from the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina, Greek, c. 490-480 B.C. He is probably Paris, who killed Achilles with an arrow to that famous heel.

Grave stele of Paramythion, Greek, c. 380-370 B.C. from the Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, Munich. The stele appears as is (left), as it was, and as is under ultraviolet light.

The head of Caligula (looking innocent), Roman, A.D. 39-41.

Juxtaposition of the colored reconstruction and the weathered original of a bronze head in the Munich exhibition.

Naked Greeks battle Persians on the so-called “Alexander” sarcophagus, Greek, c. 320 B.C., Archaeological Museum, Istanbul.

Warrior's head from the east pediment of the Temple of Aphaia on Aegin. Left: Color reconstruction. Right: Original sculpture in ultraviolet light, showing scales on the helmet.

Torso of a warrior, Greek, c. 470-460 B.C., Acropolis Museum, Athens. Color of the cuirass is speculative, both yellow and gilt reconstructions were made; some ancient statues certainly were gilded

Athena. Reconstruction has been restricted to areas whose original appearance may be determined with some certainty.

The “Peplos” kore, Greek, c. 530 B.C. Right: drew criticism from those who say ancients painted only ornaments and details, never a whole sculpture. Left: limited to colors thatcan be determinedsurely

Left: Lion from Loutraki, color reconstruction. Center: Original. Right: Detail of mane and eyebrow hair visible with the naked eye on the original sculpture.

workman:

The common perception is that the great statues and buildings of ancient Greece and Rome were all pure unpainted stone or green tarnished bronze, but researchers have been arguing that this may not been what these classic monuments really looked like back in the era of their creation. That, in fact, these statues were quite alive and vibrant, full of color.

Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity is a travelling exhibition of varying format and extent that has been shown in multiple cities worldwide. Its subject is ancient polychromy, i.e. the original, brightly painted, appearance of ancient sculpture and architecture. It features more than 20 full-size color reconstructions of Greek and Roman works, alongside 35 original statues and reliefs.

The color reconstructions are based on close examination of the originals and on scientific analysis of the scarce traces of paint remaining on them. Ultraviolet light, says Ebbinghaus, “brings out ‘paint ghosts,’ differences in the surface structure of the stone caused by different paints and by the weathering of the paints. It can often give you an idea of patterns, even if no pigments survive.” The paint on these reproductions of stone sculptures appears flat, lacking the depth of, say, oil. “We can identify the colorants—mostly minerals and some plants,” says Ebbinghaus, “but binding media are hard to identify. Egg has been used for the reconstructions. If the minerals were ground more finely, a different binding medium used, the paint polished or covered with a protective coating, the effect would be quite different.”

“We now assume that almost all Greek marble sculpture was painted,” she says. “These reconstructions can only be approximations,” but at least they dispel a popular misconception—that most statues of antiquity were plain old white. Plain would not be thought ideal until the Renaissance.

Researchers believe, particalurly Vinzenz Brinkmann who has been doing this research for the past 25 years, that artists used mineral and organic based colors and after centuries of deterioration any trace of pigment leftover when discovered, would have been taken off during any cleaning processes done before being put on display, washing the historical art clear of its true colors.

The findings of this research completley changes the commonly held modern ideas of the ancient world, and the way we view modern sculpture and art today, much of which was based on those classical Greek and Roman styles.

Sources: x x x x.

Photo

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:07:58 +0100

yeaverily: Serpentine bracelet, discovered near Corinth,...

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:07:22 +0100

yeaverily:

Serpentine bracelet, discovered near Corinth, Greece, 4th-3rd centuries BC.

“Snakes, traditionally associated with the underworld, were a favorite motif in ancient Greek jewelry, possibly due to the widespread belief in their magic powers.” -The Louvre

retroactivefuturist: Venus de Milo Alexandros of Antioch

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:23:32 +0100

retroactivefuturist:

Venus de Milo

Alexandros of Antioch

peashooter85: Glycerius A minor Roman Emperor (473-474) from...

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:53:21 +0100

peashooter85:

Glycerius

A minor Roman Emperor (473-474) from the last days of the empire. During his short reign Glycerius accomplished nothing of notable importance.

pushpinletters: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:59:02 +0100

pushpinletters:

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

cestmavieenbleu: The Pantheon at the Piazza della Rotonda,...

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:22:35 +0100

cestmavieenbleu:

The Pantheon at the Piazza della Rotonda, Rome

peashooter85: Roman Emperor Valentinian II (The Child...

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:47:02 +0100

peashooter85:

Roman Emperor Valentinian II (The Child Emperor) 22 November 375 – 15 May 392

Born in the waning years of the Western Roman Empire, Valentinian II was unique in many ways. First he ascended to the throne at the age of 4. It was of little consequence since by this point the empire was no longer ruled by the emperor, but rather by the various competing interests of politicians, generals, co-emperors, and the Eastern Roman Emperor. Indeed through most of his reign Valentinian II served mostly as a figurehead rather than a real ruler. Secondly, Valentinian II never stepped foot in Rome. Rather he held court in Milan from 375 - 387 and from Vienne (Southern France) from 375 - 392. On the 15th of May 392 he was found hanged at the age of 21, though it is unknown whether the cause was murder or suicide. The reign of Valentinian II would signify a shift in Roman politics. Henceforward power was situated in the Eastern Roman Empire as the Western Roman Empire died a slow death. The remaining rulers in the west would be weak and ineffectual, with the collapse of the empire occurring in 476 AD.

autarkeia00: A map illustrating the position of Greek (blue)...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:31:46 +0100

autarkeia00:

A map illustrating the position of Greek (blue) and Persian (red) forces at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE. The allied Greek city-states led by Athens would win the battle and repel the invasion of Greece by Persian King Darius.

http://bit.ly/10R4PJQ

ancientpeoples: The Lion of Knidos 2nd Century...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:32 +0100

ancientpeoples:

The Lion of Knidos

2nd Century BC

Hellenistic

(Source: The British Museum)

"I would rather go into battle three times than give birth once."

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:11 +0100

“I would rather go into battle three times than give birth once.”

- Medea, Euripides (via leraluna)

et-haec: House of Cupid and Psyche, Ostia - detail of opus...

Sun, 19 May 2013 01:54:37 +0100

et-haec:

House of Cupid and Psyche, Ostia - detail of opus sectile (5.14.13)

Photo

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:12:13 +0100

"I sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers on the hounds, the pure maiden, shooter of..."

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:36:21 +0100

“I sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers on the hounds, the pure maiden, shooter of stags, who delights in archery, own sister to Apollo with the golden sword. Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sends out grievous shafts. The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earthquakes and the sea also where fishes shoal. But the goddess with a bold heart turns every way destroying the race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfied and has cheered her heart, this huntress who delights in arrows slackens her supple bow and goes to the great house of her dear brother Phoebus Apollo, to the rich land of Delphi, there to order the lovely dance of the Muses and Graces. There she hangs up her curved bow and her arrows, and heads and leads the dances, gracefully arrayed, while all they utter their heavenly voice, singing how neat-ankled Leto bare children supreme among the immortals both in thought and in deed.”

- The Homeric Hymn to Artemis. Personally I am a big fan of silver in general and silver ritual jewelry in particular, but there can definitely be gold in Artemis’ regalia. :B (via of-the-eucalypts)